MIDAS
( Single Voice throughout )
Though the language and tone seems rather to have some gravity, I thought of this as being read as rather light-hearted. Hope you can see what I mean.
MIDAS
A cash register sounds – ( similar to that at the start of Pink Floyd’s ‘Money’, or the theme to ‘Are you Being Served’ )
A King called Dyonisus was very grateful to another King – The Great King Midas.
To the people of Greece, a long time ago, Dyonisus was a King of great fortune and someone to whom they believed could bring them good luck; .
He had been given two magical gifts as befits a King of his great standing: the first gift was to be able to look kindly after plants and animals.
The second gift was to be able to grant wishes for people who had shown him kindness.
Dyonisus was not a greedy King. And he knew what was important; goodness, thoughtfulness and a warmth of thought to others.
One night King Midas had seen King Dyonisus looking a little ill – and he toook him in to his home…
MUSIC: OLD GREEK FOLK MUSIC – GENERIC ( I can recommend some tunes )
King Dyonisus lived in a small Palace.
But King Midas had too a small palace and had so many beautiful flowers in its garden – he loved roses especially – and with plenty of food, drink and light to enjoy, he had all he felt should make himself happy. But for him there was something missing… He wanted more…
King Midas also loved animals, farming, and his family.
After the kindness King Midas had shown him after becoming sick, in kindenss King Dyonisus granted Midas a special wish; a power King Dyonisus had been granted as a small boy…
King Midas’s wish was to choose whatever he wanted.
Midas had been poor. As a young boy he had had to seek out food for himself. His clothes had been poorly made and he could not treat his friends or family to gifts or presents.
Midas’s home had been untidy and cold.
His mother could had not been able to afford to keep thier home clean. Sadly she had been lonely and upset that Midas had to live this way.
So as King, Midas did not take long to think about what his wish from Dyonisus would be.
Standing proud, laughing at the riches of the earth which stood before him and looking at a stone on the path he thought, “Were that stone made of gold , I could exchange it, and the money could buy me things of great value! “”
Remember, he had been poor as a child.
“Those things of great value – even stones of gold – could make me happy”, he continued.
He wanted to be rich.
And so King Midas told his friend Dyonisus, ” I would like you to grant me the wish of being able to turn every thing I touch into the purest, most beautiful gold”.
At that time he wanted simply to provide plenty for his family and friends. “Gold is a treasure and people pay good money for it”, he said.
“Yes”, said Dyonisus, “but once you have this wish granted your wish can never be undone. Are you sure this this is what you truly want ? You treasure this wish and the wealth with which it may hopefully grant you. But if you choose to take this wish, everything you touch will become gold ! It is a beautiful colour and those things of gold are truly treasures , but you will miss the richness of the real world: of other colours, and of touch.. Why are not other colours treasures too?
Midas thought…
FX: Sound of cash clinking and people poring over treasure – People having fun…
All started well. Midas touched many things and they all became gold, and he thought that all in front of him everything was beautiful, all gold; His drinking cup, his walking stick- even his frying pan – all he thought was important had – to him -seemed to have become even better.
His friends received lovely gifts of gold from the kind King Midas. His family received gifts from the generous King Midas and everything seemed to be going well because when he touched something and it turned into beautiful purest gold – it seemed that everything was turning out exactly as King Midas had planned..
MUSIC: Terrible clanging , clash of symbals or drums, in keeping with Egyptian Music – can propose
From that moment everything King Midas touched turned into the most purest, beautiful gold and everyone was happy, not least King Midas himself. King Dyionus was keeping a close eye.
Were King Midas to pick up a flower as a gift to his mother – a daisy, buttercup or poppy perhaps, there would be a glistening fizz in front of his eyes and the sound of beautiful music in his ears, as the flower transformed into gold.
( Cue appropriate SFX )
Should he want to give a birthday present to one of his friends, he would simply ask what they would like to receive, choose it for them and after a shimmering fizz in front of his eyes, and the sound of beautiful music in his ears, he would give it to them, knowing they would be happy.
( Cue appropriate SFX )
At first all was well. Midas was rich beyond measure and his family and friends were wealthy too. Everyone seemed happy.
But soon King Midas realised he had a problem.
Everything he touched turned to gold.
It was all very well giving people gifts and becoming rich, but at the dinner table he had to make sure that only his golden fork touched his food – what use is a apple made of gold to someone hungry? You can’t eat gold !
He could not give his mother a hug – he certainly didn’t want her to turn into gold…
And above all he could not thank his friend Dyonisus for granting King Midas his wish. Not only because at the touch of King Midas Dyonisus would turn to gold – beautiful as it was – but because by now Midas had realised something very important.
When everything is gold, gold becomes worthless.
“Dyonisus”, he said, “I wanted the best but I have lost that which most I love. Through my thoughtless greed I cannot touch the precious things I enjoyed in my life. You granted my wish, but now I realise I did not need it. I became greedy.”
The two sat down together on a pair of rocks in the bright heat of Ancient Greece; King Midas’s turning instantly with a shimmering fizz into purest beuatiful gold – now worthless to Midas. He already had a palace of golden things to sit on.
“Can this wish be undone?”, asked Midas to King Dyonisus. “I wished all I touched could be turned to gold. It is true; I have loved gold, it is pretty and preciouls and men and women value it. But to me it means very little now. All I treasure now is not made of gold. All I treasure is friendship, love and the sight of flowers in the field. None of them are gold.
“Let this be a lesson, King Midas”, said King Dyonisus. Be careful and mindful what you wish for, for it may become true. You were selfish”, he said, “and your wish cannot be undone… If I were to have been granted your wish and have touched you – and turn YOU into gold – well, how would that mke you feel?”
“Gold?”, said King Midas…
“Or just… Cold, maybe”? answered King Dyonisus.
King Midas was unhappy.
He still enjoyed the riches of the finest food and drink he could buy – gold is precious after all. But he spent the rest of his days telling others about the lesson he had learned; All that glitters is not gold – and most importantly – all that is gold ( the things which are impotrant to you ) do not have to glisten at all.
